Composite door structure



May 10, 1966 P. J. MORE ETAL COMPOSITE DOOR STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Jan. 25, 1965 INVENTORS Phz'Zip TI mom J0 @7972 1%. Z/rdnffi May10, 1966 P. J. MORE ETAL COMPOSITE DOOR STRUCTURE T] 7II%VZENTOR Miik 2Sheets-Sheet 2 2 Tfoseph R. 9 WW Filed Jan. 25, 1965 United StatesPatent 3,259,268 COMPGSITE DOOR STRUCTURE Philip J. More, Evanston, andJoseph R. Urhank, Hometown, Ill., assignors to General Electric Company,a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 427,873 9Claims. (Cl. 126-200) This invention relates to a composite doorstructure, and more particularly to such a structure wherein a viewingwindow is included.

While not limited thereto, this invention is particularly applicable tooven doors. In recent years, the use of transparent windows-generally ofgiassin doors for ovens, clothes dryers, and the like, has substantiallyincreased. In the case 'of ovens it is important to have at least twopanes of glass in spaced relation so as to limit the temperature of theouter pane.

With this two pane type of structure, the sealing of the space betweenthe panes from the inside of the oven becomes of major importance. If anadequate seal is not provided, then greases and condensation may getbetween the panes.

Generally, the efforts to obtain improved seals have resulted inincreased difficulty in taking apart the window assembly of the door. Inaddition, the degree of sealing has not, in most cases, provedsufficient to preclude, under all circumstances, entry of grease andcondensation into the space between the panes.

It is consequently an object of our invention to provide an improved andsimplified structure wherein sealing of the space between the two panesfrom the inside of the oven is achieved.

A further object of the invention is to provide the improved sealingeffect while at the same time maintaining the window assembly includingthe two panes of glass relatively easy to disassemble.

A more specific object of our invention is to achieve this goal bycausing the window assembly to be secured to the oven door in such a waythat the pane of glass which is exposed to condensation, grease, etc.,is held tightly against a strip of sealing elastomeric material.

' In one aspect of our invention we provide a composite door in whichtwo panes of transparent sheet material, usually glass, are positionedin alignment with each other and are spaced a predetermined distanceapart by suitable spacer means positioned between the panes. A pluralityof clamps is spaced around the edges of the panes, and cooperates withthe spacer means so as to hold the panes stationary relative to eachother in a unitary window assembly.

Thisassembly is associated with front and back door sections, formedwith aligned window openings, and which are spaced apart so that theassembly may fit between them. Secured to the back door sections aroundits opening, on the side which faces the front door section, is asealing strip of elastomeric material.

The window assembly has a plurality of fastening means secured aroundits edge, and these cooperate with a plurality of fastening meanssecured to the back door section. Thus, the window assembly is securelyfastened to the back door section with one of the panes snug against thesealing strip. The assembly of the composite door is completed bycooperating fastening means on the front and back door sections whichhold them together with the window assembly secured to the back doorsection, as previously described. This provides visibility within theoven from outside the door, and affords complete sealing of the spacebetween the panes insofar as the interior of an oven is concerned.

The subject matter which we regard as our invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the con- 3,250,268 Patented May10, 1966 eluding portion of this specification. Our invention, however,both as to organization and method of operation, together with furtherobjects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference tothe following description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

In the drawings, FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a typicalappliance, specifically an oven in this case, in which our improvedcomposite door may advantageously be used;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational view of the oven door of the applianceshown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary exploded view in perspective of aportion of the composite door of our invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 showing a second embodiment ofour invention.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, there is shown a typical domestic range 1having an outer cabinet 2. Suitable surface burners 3 are provided inthe upper surface of cabinet 2, while within the cabinet there isnormally pro vided a cooking oven accessible through a door hinged atits bottom part 5 by any suitable means (not shown) to the cabinet. Thecooking operations on the surface units 3 and within the oven aregenerally controlled by conventional control members such as those shownby the numeral 6. 1

It will readily be observed that it is a great convenience for a personcarrying on a cooking operation within the oven to be able to view thecondition of the food without having to open door 4. For this purpose,the door 4 is provided with a suitable viewing window 7. In this way,without opening the oven door, the food within the oven may be viewed ona continuous basis until the cooking operation is complete. At thattime, the oven door may be opened by handle 8 to remove the food fromthe oven compartment.

Referring now to FIGURES 2, 3, and 4, and more particularly to FIGURE 3,door 4 includes an inner or back section 9 and an outer or front section10, it being understood that the back forms part of the oven compartmentduring cooking operations, and therefore is directly in contact with thehigh temperatures, smoke, grease, etc., which may be present within theoven. A viewing operation is, as previously described,'etfected throughwindow 7. Window 7 is made up of a back pane 11 and a front pane 12which are in spaced, and preferably parallel, planes, so that thereexists a dead air space 13 between them. It is contemplated that thematerial used for panes 11 and 12 will usually be glass, with the innerpane at least being of a heat resistant type; the main point is that thepanes be transparent, and able to withstand the temperatures andamospheric conditions which prevail during cooking operations.

Panes 11 and 12 are maintained in their spaced relationship by asuitable spacer member 14 which in the present case is provided by acontinuous frame-type structure having a U-shaped cross section asshown. Bight 15 of the U forms the spacing means, and legs 16 and 17 ofthe U abut the inner surfaces of panes 11 and 12, respectively. It willbe understood that the main function of this structure is to provide thedesired spacing, and not sealing. Consequently, it is within the purviewof this invention that the member 14 be discontinuous rather than beingin the form of a single frame member extending entirely in a closedloop, as it has been provided in'the present case.

Panes 11 and 12 are held together, in the spaced relation provided byspacer 14, by a number of suitable clamping members 18, one of which isshown in detail in FIGURE 4. It will be observed that each clampingmember, in its preferred form, is L-sha-ped so as to fit around a cornerof the assembly of the two panes of glass, with one part 19 of the Loverlying the edges in one direction and the other part 29 of the Loverlying the edges in the other direction. Clamp 18 is U shaped incross section, so that the legs 21 and 21a of the U engage the surfacesof the panes 11 and 12 and clamp them together. Thus, the panes are, ineffect, held between the spacer member 14-which is between them and theclamping legs 21 and 21a.

It will readily be seen that when four clamps of the type shown by thenumeral 18 in FIGURE 4 are provided, there is, in effect, a unitarywindow assembly. Panes 11 and 12 are held in a predetermined relation toeach other, but, nonetheless, the assembly may be readily taken apartand reassembled without any adverse effects. Returning now to FIGURE 3,it will be observed that the back door section 9 has an opening 22formed therein, the edge of the opening being defined by a flange 23which is turned in so as to extend toward the front door section 10.Similarly, an opening 24 is provided in the front door section inalignment with opening 22, and this opening 24 may also be defined by asimilar flange 25 which is formed so as to extend toward the backsection 9.

Flange 23 provides convenient means for mounting a continuous sealingmember 26. Sealing member 26 is made of a suitable elastomeric material;when it is to be used in connection with an oven, as contemplated, itmust also have suitable heat and grease-resistant properties as Well.Several types of silicone rubber have been found to be suitable for thistype of use.

In order to fasten the window assembly to the back door section 9, aplurality of suitable fastening means on the window assembly and thedoor section are mounted in cooperative relationship to each other. Inits preferred form, each fastening means for the window assembly may bea simple upstanding lug 27 having a bottom flange 28 secured by anysuitable means, such as welding, to part 19 of clamp 18. A hole 29 isformed in lug 27 so that, when the window assembly is in substantiallythe desired position, hole 29 will be aligned with a hole 30 formed in arigid metal receiving member 31, secured as by welding to the interiorsurface of back section 9.

Hole 30 may be made smaller than hole 29 so that a screw member 32 willbe self-threading within hole 30, after having passed freely throughhole 29. One of these cooperating arrangements may be provided adjacenteach of the four brackets 18.

When the window assembly, as described thus far, is mounted in alignmentwith the opening 22 of back door section 9, screws 32 may be passedthrough openings 29 and threaded into holes 30 to effect the securementof the window assembly to the back door section 9. The screws may betightened until the sealing strip 26 is in continuous sealing engagementwith the back surface of pane 11. This relationship is shown in FIGURE3, where it can be seen that the screws 32 have been tightenedsufliciently to cause deformation of the part of strip 26 which abutsthe pane 11.

It can thus be seen that there is a highly effective sealingrelationship of the elastomeric material of seal 26 against the glasspane 11 and that consequently there can be no access, from the oven incabinet 2, to the space between the panes 11 and 12 for grease, smokeand the like. In addition, this is achieved without making thedisassembly of the window construction diflicult.

The construction of door 4 is completed by securing the front and backdoor sections 10 and 9 together. This may readily be achieved byproviding suitable cooperative fastening means on the two doors. Forinstance, threaded members 33 may be caused to extend through openings34 provided in the back section 9, and complementary internally-threadedreceiving members 35 may be rigidly secured to the front door section10. Then, when screws 33 are threaded into members 35, the two doorsections 9 and 10 are rigidly held together.

Where a front sealing member 36 is provided on flange 24 of front doorsection 10, this tightening of the threaded members 33 and receivingmembers 35 may be continued until the seal 36 abuts against the frontpane 12, as shown in FIGURE 3, in the same way that the back seal 26abuts the back pane 11. Alternatively, for the sake of economy, sincethere is rarely any adverse effect from leaving the outer windowunsealed, it will readily be understood that the seal 36 may be leftout, and the screws may be tightened until flange 24 abuts pane 11. Infact, the stop means may be actually incorporated in the cooperativerelationship of screws 33 and receiving members 35, and the front doorsection 10 left in slightly spaced relation to the front pane 11, if sodesired.

Referring once more to FIGURE 3, the assembly of the door may becompleted, if so desired, by the inclusion between the two doorsections-before they are secured togetherof appropriate insulatingmaterial 37.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the composite door of ourinvention provides an improved arrangement for effecting sealing of atleast the rear one of a pair of spaced panes of glass, while at the sametime leaving the assembly such that disassembly can be'effected withoutdamage or major difliculty.

Referring now briefly to FIGURE 5, there is shown a second embodiment ofour invention wherein, rather than a single large clamp 18 at eachcorner, smaller fastening members are used in cooperative relationshipwith spacer 15 in order to effect the window assembly. Specifically,using the same numerals for like parts, a U-shaped member 40 may be usedto clamp the outer pane 12 to leg 17 of spacer 14, and a similar Ushaped member 41 may be used to clamp the inner pane 11 to leg 16 of thespacer member. It will readily be observed that a plurality of members40, possibly one on each side of pane 12, and a plurality of members 41similarly arranged, will provide the'desired holding power.

Where this type of structure is used, the fastening means for the windowassembly is secured to the spacer member 14 rather than to the clampingmeans. Specifically, instead of the structure of FIGURE 4 wherein lug 27is secured to clamp 18, a lug 42 may have a base portion 43 resting onthe bight of the spacer member 14. Lug 42 may be secured to spacer 14 bywelding, either against leg 16, as shown, or by welding to the bight.The upper portion of lug 42 is identical to the upper portion of lug 27;a relatively large hole 29 is provided, and is intended to be put intoalignment with a smaller hole 30, with screw 32 passing through both ofthem.

The remainder of the structure of FIGURE 5 is identical to that ofFIGURE 4.

It will be understood that, while in accordance with the patent statuteswe have described what at present are considered to be the preferredembodiments ofour invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in theart that various changes and modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the invention. It is therefore intended in the appendedclaims to cover all such equivalent variations that fall within the truespirit and scope of our invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. A composite door comprising:

(a) a pair of panes of transparent sheet material positioned toalignment with each other;

(b) spacer means between said panes maintaining them a predetermineddistance apart;

(c) a plurality of clamps spaced around the edges of said panes andcooperating with said spacer means to hold said panes stationaryrelative to each other as a unitary window assembly;

(d) a front door section having a window opening;

(e) a back door section having a window opening, said window openingsbeing in alignment with each other, said sections being spaced apart;

(f) a sealing strip of elastomeric material secured to said back doorsection around the opening thereof on the side facing said front doorsection;

(g) first fastening means secured to said window assembly at a pluralityof locations around the edges thereof;

(b) second fastening means secured to the back door section incooperative relation to said first fastening means to securely fastensaid window assembly to said back door section at said locations withone of said panes snug against said sealing strip; and

(i) cooperating third and fourth fastening means on said front and backdoor sections holding them together with said window assembly secured tosaid back door section between said sections.

2. The door defined in claim 1 wherein said plurality of clamps includesfour L-shaped clamps, each of said clamps being in clamping relation tosaid panes at a corner thereof.

3. The door defined in claim 1 wherein said clamps are substantiallyU-shaped in cross-section, with the bight of said U extending across thespace between said panes and the legs of said U extending respectivelyagainst the surfaces of said panes.

4. The door defined in claim 1 wherein said clamps are substantiallyU-shaped, each U-shaped clamp having its bight extending across the edgeof one of said panes, and its legs extending respectively intoengagement with said spacer on one side of said pane and with thesurface of said pane on the other side thereof.

5. The door defined in claim 1 wherein a flange is formed on said backsection around said opening extending toward said front section, andsaid sealing strip is secured to said flange.

6. A composite door comprising:

(a) a pair of panes of transparent sheet material positioned inalignment with each other;

(b) spacer means between said panes maintaining them a predetermineddistance apart;

(c) clamping means cooperating with said spacer means to hold said panesstationary relative to each other as a unitary window assembly;

(d) a front door section having a window opening;

(e) a back door section having a window opening, said window openingsbeing in alignment with each other, said sections being spaced apart;

(f) a front flange formed on said front section around said openingextending toward said back section;

(g) a back flange formed on said back section around said openingextending toward said front section;

- (h) a sealing strip of elastomeric material secured about said backflange;

(i) first fastening means secured to said window assembly in a pluralityof locations around the edge thereof;

(j) second fastening means secured to the back door section incooperative relation to said first fastening means to securely fastensaid window assembly to said back door section at said locations withone of said panes snug against said sealing strip; and

(k) cooperating third and fourth fastening means on said front and backdoor sections holding them together with said windowassernbly secured tosaid back door section between said sections.

7. The door defined in claim 6 wherein a sealing strip is secured aboutsaid front flange, said third and fourth fastening means drawing saiddoor sections together until the sealing strip of said front doorsection is snug against the other of said panes.

8. The door defined in claim 6 wherein said first and second fasteningmeans include threaded means and means for receiving said threadedmeans.

9. The door defined in claim 6 wherein said third and fourth fasteningmeans include threaded means and means for receiving said threadedmeans.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,489,962 11/1949 Hardwick 126-200 2,021,832 2/1962 Mills 126-200 KENNETH W. SPRAGUE,Primary Examiner.

1. A COMPOSITE DOOR COMPRISING: (A) A PAIR OF PANES OF TRANSPARENT SHEETMATERIAL POSITIONED TO ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER; (B) SPACER MEANSBETWEEN SAID PANES MAINTAINING THEM A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE APART; (C)A PLURALITY OF CLAMPS SPACED AROUND THE EDGES OF SAID PANES ANDCOOPERATING WITH SAID SPACER MEANS TO HOLD SAID PANES STATIONARYRELATIVE TO EACH OTHER AS A UNITARY WINDOW ASSEMBLY; (D) A FRONT DOORSECTION HAVING A WINDOW OPENING; (E) A BACK DOOR SECTION HAVING A WINDOWOPENING, SAID WINDOW OPENINGS BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER, SAIDSECTIONS BEING SPACED APART; (F) A SEALING STRIP OF ELASTOMERIC MATERIALSECURED TO SAID BACK DOOR SECTION AROUND THE OPENING THEREOF ON THE SIDEFACING SAID FRONT DOOR SECTION; (G) FIRST FASTENING MEANS SECURED TOSAID WINDOW ASSEMBLY AT A PLURALITY OF LOCATIONS AROUND THE EDGESTHEREOF; (H) SECOND FASTENING MEANS SECURED TO THE BACK DOOR SECTION INCOOPERATIVE RELATION TO SAID FIRST FASTENING MEANS TO SECURELY FASTENSAID WINDOW ASSEMBLY TO SAID BACK DOOR SECTION AT SAID LOCATIONS WITHONE OF SAID PANES SNUG AGAINST SAID SEALING STRIP; AND (I) COOPERATINGTHIRD AND FOURTH FASTENING MEANS ON SAID FRONT AND BACK DOOR SECTIONSHOLDING THEM TOGETHER WITH SAID WINDOW ASSEMBLY SECURED TO SAID BACKDOOR SECTION BETWEEN SAID SECTIONS.